Rolex Explorer Ref. 1016
- Maker
- Rolex
- Year
- 1963-1989
- Rank
- 18 of 100
- Identifier
- Ref. 1016, steel, 3-6-9 dial, the long-run vintage Explorer
Rolex Explorer Ref. 1016
Market asking price, not a sale: $14,000, dated 2026-06. This is not a sale. It is what the market was asking, and no transaction is recorded behind it.
What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?
The archetypal Explorer — a clean, robust 36mm three-six-nine dial that is one of the most beloved vintage Rolex tool watches.
Ref. 1016, steel, 3-6-9 dial, the long-run vintage Explorer
What is the best-sourced number for it?
- Figure
- $14,000
- Kind
- Market asking price, not a sale
- Date
- 2026-06
This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown, and asking prices sit above what buyers pay more often than not. Read it as a ceiling on the market's opinion at that moment, not as a value.
By reference price, Rolex Explorer Ref. 1016 is number 76 of 100 in the watches entries of the FLOAT 100. 23 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (18 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.
How this is made
- The figure
- One reference price, shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
- Realized or not
- A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
- Why no grade ladder
- Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
- Archive
- 2026-08-08
Track your own
FLOAT is a free tracker. Add the watches you own, keep photos and certificates with each item, and see a value built from real sales at your item's grade. This page is a public reference; it does not offer, price or sell insurance.